Skip to content

7 Things To Check and Verify Before Buying a Used iPhone

iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones you see people using these days. It is one expensive phone to buy. If you live in a country where Carrier Contracts is not a thing, like India, it might turn out to be a very expensive deal for you. To save a lot of cash, people often buy used iPhones and frankly there is nothing wrong in buying a used phone. However, when you buy a used iPhone, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

image

Verify IMEI Number

A lot of people fake their IMEI numbers on the phone to perform certain tasks that they don’t want to be caught doing. If such a person is selling their phone, the phone might still have the spoofed IMEI number. In order to check the IMEI number, demand the box of the device and match the IMEI number on the box to the one printed at the back of the phone and inside phone’s settings (Settings -> General -> About).

Recommended: GTU Explains Smartphone Sensors What They Do and How

Activation Lock

Activation Lock Status on iPhone

 

If the phone you are buying is stolen, it might have been reported by the earlier owner to Apple, and it would have locked down the device if the Find My iPhone feature was turned on. In such a scenario, the iPhone will not allow you to set up your Apple ID on the phone without the old account’s password. In order to check this for the device, head over to the Apple’s Activation Lock Check web page and enter the IMEI number or serial number of the device to be sure.

Check IMEI Blacklist

IMEI Blacklist is a list of devices that have been blacklisted due to various reasons. These reasons could include a Stolen device or a device used in some illegal activity. It is a good idea to check your device in the IMEI Blacklist by visiting this link and entering your device’s IMEI number.


Jailbroken iPhone

Jailbreaking is the process of gaining root access to the phone. It voids your warranty and might cause some trouble for you, in the long run, especially if you’re not a techie yourself. Make sure that the device you are purchasing is not Jailbroken by the previous owner.

Erase Data and Unlink Cloud Account

image

When purchasing a used iPhone, it is important to erase the previous user’s data and unlink the old iCloud account from the device before you make the purchase. In order to unlink the cloud account, you need the password of the account currently linked to the device and hence it is good to do that before paying for the device.

Recommended: Android Folders Explained–What Goes Where on Your Android Phone

Insert SIM and Check For Network

Some older iPhones might run on different network bands and before you purchase an iPhone it is a good idea to insert your SIM card and check for a network on the device. Doing this will make two things sure. Firstly, that the device is not any carrier-locked and secondly that your SIM card will work on that phone.

Warranty Check

If the seller claims that the device has warranty left from Apple, it is a good idea to check for the same on the Apple website. To check for the warranty, head over to this link and enter your device’s serial number. The website will tell you if it has warranty left or not.

Conclusion

These were merely simple tips for you to consider before you purchase a used iPhone from someone. Be sure to go through these points whenever you plan to buy the phone. Also, if you have any other things a person needs to check before buying an iPhone, do share it with us in the comments section below.

nv-author-image

Aneesh Bhatnagar

Aneesh Bhatnagar is a freelance web developer, who specializes in front-end website development with HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery. He is also an Android enthusiast, and a budding Android Application developer.

Tags: